Summer crime news: 2 public safety notices and 2 fires reported

There were about 310 reports of theft this summer on Ohio State’s campus, 15 reports of assault and four reports of robbery.

But what does that mean?

It means that in the span of this summer — from April 30 through Tuesday — there were about 2½ thefts every day. It means 15 people told police that they were violated in some way — and many of those reports came from the Wexner Medical Center.

And it means that two public safety notices were sent over the course of the summer because there were crimes that were considered to be of a “concern and/or continuing threat to the campus community,” according to the notices.

Here is a recap of this summer’s crime and a look at what’s been reported so far this academic year.

Public safety notices

The two public safety notices issued this summer were both for reports of robberies.

The first notice was issued May 24 after three robberies were reported within three hours of one another.

The incidents ranged from the corner of West 17th Avenue and College Road, to the South Oval, to the corner of East 13th Avenue and North Pearl Street, and the alleged robberies took place between 11 p.m. and 1:30 a.m.

Another public safety notice was issued June 14 after an alleged robbery in front of Apollo’s Greek Kitchen on High Street in the early morning hours.

When public safety notices are issued, it doesn’t mean there was an increase in crime or that a crime pattern exists, according to the notices.

There have been at least three other public safety notices issued so far in 2014. Those notices were issued for a reported rape in a residence hall in February and two notices were for an armed robbery and attempted armed robbery in March and April, respectively.

Fires

There were two fires reported on campus this summer.

The first incident occurred on June 7 at Scott Laboratory. A student told officials that he had been working on a project involving a vehicle engine. The engine had sparked and ignited nearby plywood, according to a University Police report.

Smoke filled the hallway, but damage was contained to the plywood.

The second fire was at a residence hall Aug. 15. The fire started between the second and third floors of Neilwood Gables and was apparently fed by a gas leak.

There were no injuries and the extent of the damages was unclear at the time.

Other crimes

A staff member reported disorderly conduct after a woman got into a car, mistakenly thinking it was a taxi, and fell asleep in the back seat.

The woman was suspected of using alcohol and jumped into a small white sedan on May 18 at about 2 a.m., according to a University Police report. The driver was an off-duty bus driver for the Central Ohio Transit Authority and tried to tell the woman that his car was not a taxi, but she told him she needed to go to campus and fell asleep.

The driver took her from the Short North area to 12th Avenue and High Street, where he saw an officer in a police cruiser and explained the situation. The officer woke the woman, took her home and delivered her to her sober friend, according to the report.

An OSU student stabbed another OSU student during a dispute over the victim’s dog.

The stabbing occurred outside Farley’s apartment at 22 E. 12th Ave. just before 11 p.m., according to the report.

Farley was arrested and charged with felonious assault.

Three Ohio State students were arrested June 1 for an alleged burglary of a Delaware County residence and the theft of a vehicle, among other pending charges.

They were also charged with operating a vehicle while intoxicated and with underage drinking.

Following a day at the Memorial Tournament, the three suspects entered the Dublin, Ohio, home located on Tartan Fields Drive around 3 a.m. through a garage, and the homeowners heard noises. They were eventually apprehended by the police after they left the house in the homeowners’ car.